Saloth Sar (1928-1998) was the leader of the communist movement in Cambodia. During his staggeringly brutal term as dictator, his attempts to 'cleanse' the nation caused an estimated 1.7 - 2.5 million deaths. As a consequence of the agrarian collectivization he imposed on the populace, around one fifth of the Cambodian population were wiped out by malnutrition, slave labour, poor medical care and executions. Arguably US foreign policy of the 197os did much to uphold the regime.